Lasting Forever
by Ephemeral Serendipity
Summary: From the very beginning, she knew he was special, whatever that meant. He was the catalyst that would change the equation, the one person that would change her life. "O29. Complete." "Wait, I need to tell you something! Your time is almost up!" -AxC-KxC-


Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny. :)

Lasting Forever

TEST. 01.

---

From the very beginning, she knew he was special, whatever that meant. _He_ was the catalyst that would change the equation, the one person that would change her life. "O29. Complete." "Wait, I-I need to tell you something! Your time is almost up!" – KiraCagaAsu -

---

"_O29. Complete."_

_Her amber eyes flickered open, her long eyelashes fluttering as she did so. Blinking several times, the sight of people cloaked in long, white lab coats swam into view. Their old, wrinkly features were blurry; the water she was trapped in made it impossible to decipher one from another.__ Groggily, she reached out towards them; she was startled as her fingers touched cold glass._

_She felt very, very, weary. Struggling to keep her eyes open__, a part of her mind determined they must have injected some kind of sleeping pill. The rest of her ached with the burden of resisting the pull towards darkness and she slowly gave in. The last thing that passed her sleepy eyes was a boy, his emerald orbs gazing right at her._

---

"Kira, please get up."

"Mmpphhh…"

"Miles per hour?"

"Unnfhhhhh…"

"Kira…"

"Two more minutes…"

"In two minutes you will find your tushie in the car already. Get up, NOW."

"Nnn, Cagalli, you're no fun."

"Am I supposed to be?"

"Did Mom mess with your programming again?"

"No." The blonde watched the brunette yawn and sit up in bed. He glanced at her, shielding his eyes from the sunshine that poured into the room.

"Liar."

"I don't lie."

"Liar. You lied to me before when you said I'd be in the car in one mi—" The brunette never got to finish his sentence as the blonde pulled him out of bed, ignoring his protests, shoved a pile of clothes in his arms, and sent him downstairs without even brushing his teeth.

One minute later, Kira Hibiki found himself in a car to school. Sighing, he bit into his donut while eyeing the blonde warily.

"Cagalli, are you sure you don't want…"

"If you want to mess up my programming, I'll take one."

"…"

Kira Hibiki was your average 15 year old boy. He had one father, one mother, and he went to school like any other kid.

… okay, maybe wasn't so average. He was amazingly good-looking; his chocolate brown hair had girls _and_ guys drooling over it. He had purple eyes that could melt the hearts of both genders, and his gentle smile could practically make anyone's legs turn into jelly. His body was something that everyone drooled over; he was skinny, but had apparent muscles and abs that could send someone to the hospital because of blood loss.

The Hibikis were renowned scientists; Ulen, his father, was an ambitious researcher that had claimed the top spot in the world of science. His wife, Via, was not only extremely talented and intelligent, but was beautiful as well. In fact, both of them were attractive; obviously, Kira, their son, would turn out the same way as well.

The high school Kira attended wasn't any ordinary school either. Only the _richest_, _prettiest_, _athletic,_ or the _smartest_ could attend; Kira was all four. There were many who were only rich, or only stunningly gorgeous, or only athletic, or only clever. Lucky ones were two of them at the most; only a handful or two was three. Only two or four people in the whole entire school were all four; Kira was one of them. The school? Destiny Academy.

Since his family was so powerful and renowned, Kira had pretty much everything he needed _and _everything he wanted. Families flocked towards his, in hopes of gaining favours with them and moving up in society. Kira, being such a gentle and kind person, was often a potential target for being used.

However, that never happened.

_Never._

Not at all.

This was because of his bodyguard, Cagalli.

Or, also known as O29.

She was an experimental test subject. Half robot, half human; she was more intelligent, more agile, more attractive than normal people. Created by Patrick Zala, another prominent figure in the science world (although not as prominent), she was bought by the Hibikis when she was only 3 years old. Her body aged normally, but her mentality was already one of an adult's. They had seen her, became fascinated, and persuaded Patrick to sell her to them. Amazingly enough, she was sold for a fetching 29 million dollars.

Kira and Cagalli met when they were both only 3; coincidentally, they had the same birth date, and thus they always celebrated their birthday together.

This year was going to be no exception. May 18th was only one week away; they were both going to turn 16. Kira was looking forward to this day as Cagalli was going to be celebrating her 'sweet 16th', while Cagalli didn't see anything 'sweet' about turning 16.

"I don't get why it's 'sweet'. If it was Valentine's Day, I'd get it. But it's not."

Kira had sighed at Cagalli's apparent lack of knowledge. "You're finally of age, that's why it's so sweet. You'll be able to drive and stuff."

Frowning, the blonde still didn't get it. "I'm going to be more than halfway to thirty. What exactly is so sweet about getting closer to the age of wrinkles?"

The brunette had no reply.

Currently, they were lounging in the back of a limousine, waiting to get to school. Cagalli was staring out the window as usual, while Kira swallowed his breakfast. An unusual silence had settled in the car, which was abnormal. Their driver, Kisaka, glanced into the rear-view mirror, worried.

Coughing and clearing his throat, Kira asked, "What do you want for your birthday?"

"I don't need anything for my birthday. I should be the one asking you!"

"Cagalli…"

"Kira, don't make me repeat myself."

"I know, I know. But still, you're becoming legal age! Let me get you something," the brunette begged, gazing pleadingly into the blonde's amber eyes.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with bananas on top?"

"That is a disturbing thought. No."

"Just name one thing."

"…"

"Say something, please?"

"Something, please?"

"I'm serious, okay?"

"… a day with you?"

"… seriously."

"… I can't have that?"

Kira blushed as Cagalli turned her head to gaze at him steadily. It was times like these where he wished Cagalli wasn't as mature as she was; it was difficult for him, who had no experience with girls, to deal with her. Furthermore, she almost like a sister to him. Or, so he thought.

"F-f-fine. That day?"

"If it's okay with you." She resumed looking out the window, watching the clouds pass by lazily.

"Y-yeah…"

"Then, what do you want for your birthday?" Startled, Kira looked out the window as well, wondering what he could ask for.

"Something… special; anything that's meaningful is okay with me."

Eyebrows raised, Cagalli puzzled over it for the rest of the way there. Being half robot had its advantages, of course, but the disadvantages cost her so much.

Yes, she could avoid a wall of bullets that were aimed at her. Yes, she could survive underwater without an air tank and regardless the pressure. Yes, she could jump off a flying plane without a parachute and land safely on the ground. Yes, she could even lift buildings and fly. Yes, she could also see through things (not that she ever wanted to) and also see in the dark.

Her physical capabilities were endless. Getting shoot in the heart would do her no harm; her vital organs were engineered and were robotic. She had red blood running through her system, real skin, real hair, eyes, and other external features that belonged to a normal human. Of course, it was nearly impossible for her to die of blood loss, cancer, or any other disease; her cells were modified in a way where they would never replicate to produce bad cells. They were almost robotic themselves.

However, she didn't have emotions.

This was to be expected, of course. A robot, having feelings? Even though she was only half robot, her most human feature was her appearance. Her blood was also nearly human. She could think like a human, think normally. But she didn't have any particular feelings about those thoughts. She could feel tired and that was it; but only as a result of her mechanism needing a break (e.g. running for 5 days straight at 200m/h).

She never mourned the loss; she didn't have the feelings to. However, Via and Ulen, her adoptive parents, had fretted over this fact. They wanted her to feel the emotions normal people had. They wanted her to laugh, cry, and get angry. They wanted her to find someone who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Someone she would love and have children with.

Their dreams were shattered; she could not love. She could have babies, alright. That was another part of her; she had monthly visitors like other women. If she would ever find someone who _wanted_ to have babies with her, now, that was a different story.

Back to Cagalli, she wondered what exactly something 'special' could be. She knew that special things were things that would mean a lot to the owner. Before she had more time to ponder this matter, the car stopped in front of the elegant Destiny Academy. An usher opened the door, and petals floated into the car. Sounds of girls squealing and guys hollering were heard as Kira and Cagalli both made their way out of the car.

Kira never got used to the crowd that greeted him and Cagalli in the morning. Or, more like just him. Cagalli was like a shadow; always behind him, but not always seen.

"Geez, this is like a scene from Hana Kimi…" Kira muttered to Cagalli, who didn't respond.

"KIRA-KUN!"

"Shut up, it's **KIRA-SAMA**!"

"**KIRA-SAMA**! YOU LOOK AMAZING TODAY AS WELL!"

Nervously walking onto the path that led to the school, the brunette smiled and waved weakly to the girls and guys on both sides of him. Suddenly, a girl jumped in front of him, grinning wickedly.

"Miriallia!"

"Hello, _Kira-sama_!"

"Not you too!" Kira groaned in mock distress, rolling his eyes. "Don't you have _Dearka-sama_?"

Enter Miriallia Haw, a girl with brown hair and turquoise eyes. She was famous in the academy for being an amazing photographer. Not only were her scenery pictures simply breathtaking, but she seemed to be able to get pictures of the latest scandals; mostly just kids from famous families interacting with one another. Either way, she was the one everyone looked to for the latest rumours and gossip.

What was more was that her family wasn't extraordinarily rich. They were average, and she would have gone to the neighbouring Dominion High School if it wasn't for her connections. She had known Kira and Cagalli since they were all only 4 years old. She knew about Cagalli's secret, but was one of the few that did.

She fell into the categories of smart and beautiful; Miriallia wasn't rich, and the only sport she could do relatively well was track, which she didn't like at all anyways.

"Ew, him? No way!" Miriallia exclaimed, making an 'x' with her hands. "That prick can go live in a hole."

"As long as it's your hole, I'm fine with that!" Kira bursted out laughing, while Miriallia turned her turquoise eyes on the tanned male.

"Go find yourself a pole and spear yourself with it, will you?"

"I already have a _pol—_" His sentence was cut short as Cagalli kicked him on the behind, sending him skidding across the stone path.

"Excuse me, Elsman-san, but you were in my way," she murmured quietly, her eyes warning him. Coughing feebly, the blonde stood up and apologized. Miriallia joined Kira in laughing and the two brunettes walked on, amused.

A notorious playboy, Dearka Elsman was rich and attractive. He wasn't smart academically, but did have some pretty crazy ideas for parties. He wasn't very athletic either, but was often used as a punching bag for the martial arts clubs. He had a desperate crush on Miriallia, but the brunette continued to reject his advances.

"Remarkable, how Dearka never learns," Kira said, grinning at the short-haired blonde, who growled slightly. Cagalli simply looked away and whistled, while Miriallia slung her arm over the blonde girl.

"I still can't get over how you practically fly 10 meters every time she kicks you."

"For your information, it's 9.5 meters," corrected Dearka, rubbing his scraped elbow.

"For _your_ information, it was 11.346 meters," Cagalli said, turning her blank face towards the other blonde. "The furthest I ever kicked you was 18 meters."

"How the heck do you remember these things?! I don't even remember when you first kicked me!"

"September 8th, C.E. 71…"

"Nice, Cagalli," Miriallia cheered, hugging the blonde. Dearka watched, depressed. However, he didn't have time to say anything before a silver-haired male and a brown-haired female in front of them began arguing.

"OUT WITH IT, JOULE. WHERE DID YOU PUT MY BIOLOGY TEXTBOOK?!"

"WHY THE HECK ARE YOU BLAMING ME, YOU INSANE CRACKPOT?!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"

"AN INSANE CRACKPOT! ARE YOU DEAF?!"

"YOU'RE MAKING ME DEAF!"

"OH, WELL YOU'RE WELCOME!"

"WHERE THE HECK ARE YOUR MANNERS? I HAVE TO SAY THANK YOU FIRST!"

"OKAY. YOU'RE WELCOME!"

"YOU STUPID MOMMY'S BOY!"

"WHAT?!"

"WHO STILL BLUSHES WHEN THEY GET KISSED BY THEIR MOMMY, HUH?!"

"Whoa, Shiho, calm down!" Miriallia hollered, running towards the couple. Jogging with her, Cagalli, Dearka, and Kira attempted to calm the two hot-heads down. Cagalli helped Miriallia grab a hold of Shiho before she pummelled the silver-haired male to the ground, while Dearka and Kira tackled Yzak to the floor before he sent a book flying at her face.

Yzak Joule and Shiho Hahnenfuss; they were engaged to marry one another as soon as they turned 18. However, it was hard to find a couple who hated the other person more. They both came from rich families with long histories. Shiho was rather attractive, athletic, and intelligent, making her one of the most coveted females in the school. Yzak, on the other hand, was rich, of course, handsome, and athletic. His hot-temper often got in the way of his thinking, so no one really considered him to be bright.

"Chill, Yzak, no need to be ashamed of being a mommy's bo—" Dearka was punched 7 meters back. He clutched his jaw, howling, "WHY'D YOU DO THAT?!"

"I'M NOT A STUPID MOMMY'S BOY!" roared Yzak, his face redder than a tomato. Kira pinned him down, successfully, preventing him from causing any more damage. Meanwhile, Cagalli and Miriallia had managed to calm Shiho down, although she was still red with anger and panting.

"Mommy's boy simply refers to the fact that you are still comforted by your mother in an affectionate manner. Is that something to be ashamed of, Yzak?" questioned Cagalli, patting Shiho on the back calmingly.

"T-that has nothing to do with this!"

"Then are you saying that you punched Dearka for no apparent reason?"

"N-no…"

"Yzak, your arguments are sadly flawed. It is quite obvious that Dearka flew 7.46 meters back because he called you a mommy's boy. From your reaction, one can conclude that you do not like being called a mommy's boy."

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I DON'T LIKE BEING CALLED A MOMMY'S BOY. HAPPY?"

"No."

Rolling his eyes, Kira cut in, adding, "Yzak, Yzak. We know that you love your mother and all, but there is no shame in proclaiming it to the world! Shout it! You will feel much better."

"For the last time, I am NOT a mommy's bo—"

"Don't have guts, eh, mommy's boy?" teased Miriallia, winking at him.

Lividly, he gave in and yelled, "I'M A MOMMY'S BOY!"

It echoed throughout the campus, causing heads to whip around and stare at the silver-haired teen. Then, laughter erupted from everyone, which made poor Yzak sink to the floor in defeat. Cagalli observed his reaction.

"He is currently feeling embarrassed; is he embarrassed at the fact he admitted it out loud or the fact that he gave in to our teasing?"

---

As Miriallia, Kira, and Cagalli made their way through the fancy halls of the academy, they noticed a pink-haired girl talking with a green-haired boy. Recognizing them, Kira yelled, "Lacus! Nicol!"

The pink-haired girl turned around and her blue eyes fell upon Kira and the two girls behind him. "Kira-kun!"

Meanwhile, Nicol, the male, grinned and waved at them. "Kira-san! Cagalli-san! Miriallia-san!"

"Hi, guys! What are you talking about?" asked Miriallia, looking between the uncommon pair.

"I was just asking Nicol-kun if he would accompany me in a concert I'm having next week," replied Lacus cheerfully, smiling innocently.

"Oh, right!" Miriallia glanced at Lacus meaningfully, and they winked at one another. Puzzled, Kira looked at Cagalli, who shrugged nonchalantly. Nicol chuckled, understanding.

"Lacus Clyne, please report to the Office. Lacus Clyne, please report to the Office." Looking up at the intercom, the blue-eyed girl sighed.

"I guess I will see you guys later! Bye for now!" She elegantly ran towards the stairwells that lead to the office.

Enter and exit Lacus Clyne, one of Destiny Academy's most popular girls. She was noted for her angelic voice, which made both genders swoon. She was peace-loving and this was one of her most prominent traits. Already a teen star at 16, her singles always scored #1 on the charts. She was one of the few that were rich, smart, _and_ beautiful. She wasn't too athletic; she preferred the arts over sports.

Nicol Amarfi, a year younger than the students presented thus far. He was famous for his melodic piano playing and his childish cute appearance. However, he was much more mature than most his age, and was peace-loving just like Lacus. He was intelligent, rich, and quite attractive; he stopped taking athletics after he began to fear for the safety of his hands

"I wonder why she was called down," Miriallia whispered, staring after her.

"Who knows," Kira said, walking into the classroom. "Probably something to do with another scholarship she won."

"Probably," agreed the other brunette, giggling. Cagalli simply joined Kira and sat down in her seat.

As the rest of the class stopped their buzzing, their teacher, Mr. Mwu La Flaga, walked in, carrying in sheets of paper. The students began to groan, but he held up a hand and grumbled, "Shut it; let me start first!"

Before he took attendance, he said, "Today, we will be having a new student in our class. Happy? Better be. Let me introduce to you, Athrun Zala."

Cagalli stiffened; so did Kira and Miriallia. They eyed the doorway apprehensively. There was an odd silence for a minute or two, before a navy-haired male finally walked into the classroom. His appearance resulted in nosebleeds from several girls and some whistling from the guys. Kira, however, only had eyes for the blonde beside him, who looked like she was frozen. Miriallia shifted her glance at the male at the front of the classroom, her usually warm turquoise eyes suddenly colder than ice.

"Hello, my name is Athrun Zala. Pleased to meet you and I hope we'll all get along."

Unable to take her amber eyes off him, Cagalli could only continue to stare at him._ 'Athrun… Zala… son of… Patrick… and Lenore…'_ she thought. It had been 12, almost 13 years since she last saw him; he probably didn't even recognize her anymore. Letting these thoughts fill her mind, she relaxed and let her hands rest on the table.

Noticing this, Kira reached over and put his hands comfortingly, smiling encouragingly as she glanced at him.

While the two were occupied, Miriallia observed Athrun's reactions. His emerald eyes scanned the classroom, before they widened in shock and rested on the two in front of her. Immediately, Miriallia's eyes narrowed as the male never stopped looking at the blonde and the brunette.

Mr. La Flaga coughed, and said, "Well, Athrun, go ahead and take a seat beside Miriallia. Miriallia, raise your hand so Athrun can see you."

This time, Kira suddenly gripped Cagalli's hand, causing her to jump and stare at him with wide-eyes, before turning her firm gaze on the male that was walking towards the seat behind her. Tensing as he walked past her, she shivered slightly as he sat down right behind her. Not daring to turn around, she sat slightly closer to her desk, further from the male that now occupied the previously empty seat.

"Now, we're going to begin our lesson by talking about cancer cells. Who can tell me…"

---

"Thank goodness that's over," Kira sighed, shoving his notebook into his bag as the bell rang. After an extremely nervous lesson, Cagalli and Kira could now leave. Miriallia scrambled up, pouring her notes into her bag. She shared a look with Kira, and they quickly took Cagalli by the arms and dragged her away from the class.

They didn't get as far as they wanted, though, as Athrun yelled, "O29?!"

The two brunettes stopped, causing Cagalli to bump into Kira's back. Turning around, the blonde stared at the male who called her by her experimental name.

"How dare he," whispered Kira, his teeth clenched.

"Son of a…" Miriallia didn't finish her sentence as the Zala walked towards them.

"Y-you're… O29, right? Cagalli?" She nodded in response, analyzing his purpose as to why he still called her 'O29'. It was a taboo name among her family and friends that knew about her origins. "Do you still remember me?"

"Athrun Zala. Son of Patrick and Lenore Zala. Previously attended Terminal Academy of Sports."

"Whoa, yeah, I guess you haven't changed! It's been so long!"

"12 years, 11 months, and 4 days," she replied softly, gazing into the emerald eyes she remembered so well. Faulty memory never occurred to her.

"Exact as usual," he chuckled, not noticing the brunettes behind Cagalli, who were silently shaking with anger. "You were the most successful one out of all the hundreds that my pare—"

"Excuse me, but I'm afraid I must hurry or I will be late to my next class by 0.79 minutes." Turning around, Cagalli grabbed Kira and Miriallia and rushed for the door, but it was too late.

"Wait! I-I need to tell you something!" Athrun yelled. "Your time is almost up!"

---

**ROYALMILKTEA:**

* hides from readers * OKAY, OKAY, I'LL START WORKING ON THE OTHER STORIES! * flees *

* sticks a sign that says; **DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW! S2 ***


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